Central Scrutinizer

Obviously what this band needs is some musical tension. Time for a poll: which band member gets thrown under the bus?

If the past is any clue, here are 13 songs the band has played in each of the first 4 dates (and are pretty standard for the rest of the shows in '08 (touring with the Total Pros ensures a few of these in the rotation): Spiders (Kidsmoke) Handshake Drugs I'm the Man Who Loves You (w/Total Pros) Hate It Here (w/TP) Walken (w/TP) Impossible Germany Shot in the Arm Outtasite (Outta Mind) Jesus, etc. You Are My Face Company in My Back One Wing Sunny Feeling Can't Stand It and Monday have fit in with Total Pros. Only about 38 different songs have been covered in the four shows. Hoodoo Voodoo, H

Continuing with awful baseball analogies, I was watching an episode of a series on one of the sports channels, how they cobble together old baseball home movies and films about players, stadiums etc. The argument was about who was better, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mayes or Duke Snyder. One sports announcer said, "you don't have the argument to get to the answer, you have the argument because you can." -- it's something worth feeling passionate about. So yeah, 15-20 pages ought to do it

"I'm getting closer, my salamander."?!? Yeah, Paul McCartney has done better. It's a personal thing, but I like Jeff Tweedy a whole lot better than Paul McCartney. In the same way I like Billy Williams a whole lot more than I like Ty Cobb.

True, I was thinking that as I hit "add reply"

I could very easily see this bands components moving towards something sonic and fractured musically (yet in a good way ). But then Nels in the recent interview said the stuff Jeff has been writing lately is "beautiful."

Gee, I hope not. My stock answer is, "that's what I named my kid." I thought I saw a few tickets still available on the board

I was just playing that for my daughter on the way home.

Great that means I'll hear it twice!

I was thinking Sunny Feeling definitely has the same sound of SBS -- basically the same instrumentation as Walken (though the current incarnation doesn't sound as good as Walken). One Wing sounds a step removed from that album. But I suspect were hearing some craftsmen tinkering. Much sawdust, splinters and wood scraps later, as long as they accomplish an album they're collectively proud to present to their fans, that is all we could ask, and we shouldn't ask or demand more.

I dunno, there is something about some of the keyboard work in their current live version of Pot Kettle Black that makes me go "wow" every time I hear it.

I'm sorry I didn't hear "Sunken Treasure" the first time in that way. But I know exactly what you mean because other songs have hit me that way. I think that reflects on your connection, how it impacts you and what you take away from it. I can rationalize why I like SBS and maybe why you don't, but no one can deny that feeling when a song resonates with you. What is the old breakup line? "It's not you, it's me."

I appreciate your points (I've read Kot's book twice and have since read several Tweedy interviews where he bemoans Kot's effort. I think in viewing Hate It Here as straightforward, people fail to realize what a well-crafted R&B tune that is. Tweedy is poetic in how he can find depth and color in simple expressions, and the lyrics of that song manage to bring depth of emotion in pretty austere lyrics. In Hate It Here, "I called your mom and she said you're not there ... and I should take care." Considering the circumstances that is one cold-assed line (mothers can say "fuck off" in the

I think Tweedy and O'Rourke would downplay O'Rourke's influence -- they both went to great pains to point out that O'Rourke actually "removed" a great deal of the "noise" from YHF. I think Cline brings a great deal of range to SBS and in all the live recordings I've heard. There are songs that I've hated, but can grant that they're well crafted songs. Just not my cup o' tea. So I get your meaning.

What about H.W. Bush?

Last time I checked, Pieholden Suite worked its way up there.

They should sell those in pairs (a 2nd one for output).

I would have no problem whatsoever with the band coming into Florida Theatre and playing the whole SBS -- along with Let's Not Get Carried Away and The Thanks I Get (with horns).

In What Light, he put in a single song what he tried to explain in so many interviews -- and more importantly, it sounds like he has come to terms with letting the songs go and realizing people will do with them whatever they will but that he's no longer responsible for it at that point -- which would be his own advice to those who find fault with SBS.

What happened to Dreamer?!? I'm on it ... Sincerely, The Late Richard R. Daley

This isn't going to read as I intend but here goes: I think people get down on SBS because they expected the unexpected -- because in the progression of previous albums, that's what fans had come to expect. But in listening to those albums from hindsight, and reading what Tweedy and the various band incarnations went through, there was the goal of each album of reaching for something, or being pulled by some influence, wanting to take things in a direction. In each case Tweedy had his "enablers," those he learned from used, borrowed from, was led by (in YHF, most would say that was Bennett,

I'm getting giddy from anticipation for Jacksonville-Charleston-Cary, NC. I so hope they bring the Pros along. :dancing

What's with using their middle names. Did they suddenly become serial killers?

Art Walk is really hit and miss. It's more of a insider social clutch of a few factions of the local art community. London Bridge is in the shadow of the former public library which is a 60s architectural marvel of day glo tile.

Wow, that's harsh situation. Hope you find takers, and a better girlfriend!